Death mask of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. on wood mount
Work Type:
casts
Creator:
Borglum, Gutzon (1867-1941), United States, sculptor
Date:
1935
Description:
Plaster cast death mask with wooden mount. Brass plaque on mount reads: "OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES / 1841-1935 / DEATH MASK / SCULPTOR: GUTZON BORGLUM / PRESENTED TO THE HARVARD LAW SCHOOL / BY / ARTHUR W. A. COWAN, LL.B. '30, LL.M. '36 / RICHARD L. LEVY, LL.B. '36 / JOSEPH SLOANE, JUDGE OF THE COMMON / PLEAS COURT NO. Y, PHILADELPHIA COUNTY".
Dimensions:
26 x 17.5 x 18 cm. mask; 50 x 33 cm. mount
Associated Name:
Holmes, Oliver Wendell (1841-1935), sitter
Topics:
death masks; judges; lawyers
Materials/Techniques:
cast on plaster
Note:
General: Forms part of the Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. object collection. / / Mount includes a glass and wood cover that was not photographed. Provenance: Created just hours after his death, Justice Holmes's death mask remained in the possession of the artist's family from 1935 until 1951, at which time it was loaned to the Harvard Law School Library. The Harvard Law School Dean's Report for 1953-1954 reports a gift of $1,077.00 from the Philadelphia Community Foundation, Inc. for purchase of a Death Mask of Mr. Justice Holmes from the artist's widow, Mary Borglum. The wooden base and cover was built in 1954. Two copies of the death mask were created and given as gifts to the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Dickinson Law School in May 1954. Subject: Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.: Born March 8, 1841 in Boston, Mass.; attended Harvard College, 1857-1861; Union Army soldier during the American Civil War, 1861-1864; graduated Harvard Law School, 1866; married Fanny Bowditch Dixwell, June 17, 1872; Professor at Harvard Law School, 1882; Justice of Massachusetts State Supreme Court, 1882-1902; Chief Justice of Massachusetts Supreme Court, 1899-1902; Associate Justice of US Supreme Court, 1902-1932; died March 6, 1935.
